Oscillating centrifuge



Dec. 18, 1962 s. KlEssKALT Erm.

OSCILLATING CENTRIFUGE Filed Feb. 6, 1959 lie?? A lll/lll 5 2Sheets-Sheet 1 gf/ nm 727x101, muy@ Dec. 18, 1962 s. KlEssKALT ETAL3,069,016

oscILLATING CENTRIFUGE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 6, 1959 M @am m4 5United States Patent Ciiice 3,069,016 Patented Dec. 18, 1962 3,069,016OSCILLATING CENTRIFUGE Siegfried Kiesskalt, Aachen, Hans HeinrichHulsen, Mulheim (Ruhr), and Erich Otters, Aachen, Germany, assignors to-Siebtechnik G.m.h.H., Mulheim (Ruhr), Germany Filed Feb. 6, 1959, Ser.No. 791,742' Claims priority, application Germany Nov. 13, 1958 1 Claim.(Cl. 210-370) The present invention relates to an axially oscillatingcentrifuge in which the centrifuge `drum and the drum centrifuge, thesaid energy-storing springs also provide j the clamping force actingbetween the bearings of the centrifuge drum. The arrangement is suchthat the two oscillatable masses of the system are prevented fromperforming any undesirable wobbling motion, since the shaft carrying thecentrifuge drum is supported in the casing in such a manner as to bemovable in an axial direction.

It has now been discovered that it is possible, while preserving all ofthe advantages of a system of the nature just described, to provide fora considerable simplification of the construction of the centrifuge bydispensing with the provisions enabling the shaft of the centrifuge drumto move in an axial direction and byproviding a sleeve member whichco-operates with the said energy-storing springs on the one hand andwith the means supporting the centrifuge drum in a longitudinal as wellas transverse direction on the other, the said sleeve member beingguided in relation to the casing, which casing performs the primaryoscillations, in a direction parallel to the axis, by means `of guidelinks or guide springs connecting the sleeve member with the casing. Thenecessary axial preload is applied to the bearings of the drum shaft bymeans of springs disposed between amply dimentioned flanges of the drumshaft and the rotating race of the thrust bearing, the said springspreferably having a steep i characteristic of spring force, the springsthus requiring little space, and the preload applied by the said springsexceeding the peak value of the oscillatory force exerted by theoscillating masses.

According to another aspect of the present invention, an oscillatingcentrifuge of the type indicated can be further improved by providingfor the springs serving to guide the said sleeve member along a straightline also to act as energy-storing springs.l In an oscillatingcentrifuge -according to the invention, 4the laxial oscillations of thecasing are transmitted by way of resonance to the rotating shaft' of thedrum through the medium of the guide springs which at the same time actas energy-storing springs. The omission of separate energy-storingsprings results -in a simplified construction of the oscillatingcentrifuge and in considerable savings in manufacturing costs andassembling time. Moreover, the said guide springs which are suitablyreinforced so as to enable them to function also as energy-storingsprings are made of steel and are therefore less susceptible to hightemperatures of the material to be processed than are the rubber storingsprings used in the centrifuge described earlier. According to stillanother aspect of the invention, additional `adjustable buffers mayberprovided for the purpose of regulating the magnitude of theoscillatory movements.

Other objects and features of the invention will become apparent as thedescription proceeds, especially when taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawing il- Y lustrating several preferred embodiments ofthe invention,

wherein FIG. v1 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view of anembodment of an oscillating centrifuge in which the axis of the drum isdisposed horizontally, the drum being adapted to oscillate'in an axialdirection; this embodiment having separate energy-storing springs;

FIG. 2 illustrates a modified embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view showing another modication havingno separate energy-storing springs; and

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary vertical cross-sectional View takensubstantially on the line 4-4 of FIGURE 1.

Referring now more in particularlto the drawings, the shaft 1 of theembodiment of FIG. l may carry at one end a V-belt pulley serving todrive the shaft in rotation, and the said shaft carries at its inner enda drum 2 which is rigidly secured thereto, the drum being, for exampleof conical shape, the wider portion of the drum facing away from theshaft. The casing 3 may be supported from a suitable foundation bysprings 4 or may be suspended in the foundation in a Vertical position;the casing carries a plurality of counter-rotating out-of-balanceweights 5 serving in a per se known manner -to cause the casing tooscillate in an axial direction. These oscillations are convenientlytransmitted by way of resonance, through a plurality of energy-storing:springs 6, to a sleeve member 7 and thence `to the rotating shaft 1 andlthe drum 2.

The sleeve member 7 which is of substantially cylindrical shape has anintegrally formed flange 8 which is abutted on both -sides by sets ofenergy-storing springs 6. Telescoped into the sleeve member 7 are tworadial and thrust bearings 9 which are spaced apart to support the shaft1 in a suitable manner. The two bearings are resiliently preloaded by aforce exceeding the peak force produced'by the oscillations of theoscillatable parts; for this purpose, the shaft 1 Vis provided with twointegral anges 10 and 11, and a plurality of springs 12 are disposedbetween the outer race of one of the bearings 9 and an adjustableclosure member 13 engagingthe sleeve member 7 and serving to adjust theforce applied by the springs 12. 'I'he said springs and flanges may bearranged either according to FIG. 1 or according to FIG. 2. In order toprevent the occurrence of relative wobbling movements or pitchingoscillations between the two masses of the oscillating system whichperform axial oscillations in relation to one another, a plurality ofguide members or guide springs 14 are provided, according to theinvention, to connect the sleeve member 7 with the casing 14, such guidemembers or springs being disposed, depending on the size of themachine', and as schematically indicated in the drawing, either at oneend only or at both ends of the sleeve member. Where the said guidemembers are intended not only to guide the sleeve member but also partlyto assume the function of the energy-storing springs, guide members inthe form of guide springs may be provided. It will be understood thatthe axially oscillating centrifuge may be arranged with the drum axiseither in a horizontal or in a vertical position, and that the openingof the drum may face either inwardly or outwardly.

In the embodiment of FIG. 3, the shaft 15 one end of which may befitted, for example, with a V-belt pulley to permit the shaft to bedriven in rotation, carries at its other end a substantially conicalcentrifuge drum 16 which is rigidly attached to the shaft, the openingof the drum facing away from the shaft. The casing 17 is supported fromthe foundation by springs 18 and it carries rotatable out-of-balanceweights 19 serving in a per se known manner to cause the casing tooscillate in lan axial direction. By way of resonance, theseoscillations are transmitted to a sleeve member 21 and further to therotating shaft 15 and the drum 16 by means of guide springs 20 whichcomprise a larger number of leaf springs than are provided in theembodiments of FIGS. 1 and 2. The amplitude of the oscillations islimited in the present embodiment by resilient stop members or buffers23 which co-operate with anges 22 formed integrally with the sleevemember 21 supporting the bearings of the drum shaft. The said buffers 23may be adjustable so as to permit the amplitude of the oscillations tobe regulated.

What is claimed is:

An oscillating centrifuge system comprising a resiliently mountedcentrifuge casing, a perforated centrifuge drum in the casing, a driveshaft rigidly supporting the drum and extending axially thereof, drivemeans connected to said drive shaft, a sleeve member disposed in saidcasing and surrounding said drive shaft, means on the casing forproducing oscillations of the casing in a substantially axial directionof the drive shaft, bearing means mounted in the sleeve member androtatably supporting said drive shaft, said casing having opposinginwardly extending wall portions extending adjacent the opposite ends ofthe sleeve member, cooperating means on said sleeve member and opposingwall portions located between said wall portions for yieldably limitingaxial movement of the sleeve member relative to said wall portions, anda plurality of leaf springs each extending in a plane radial relative tothe drive shaft and anchored externally to each wall portion and to theadjacent end of said sleeve member, said leaf springs dening resilientlinks to guide said shaft and the drum in an axial direction, wherebythe drive shaft performs oscillations in an axial direction in additionto its rotational movement.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,700,837 Fisher Feb. 5, 1929 1,967,163 Thearle July 17, 1934 2,487,604Short Nov. 8, 1949 2,782,930 Heckman Feb. 26, 1957 2,861,691 Linke etal. Nov. 25, 1958 2,836,301 Bruckman May 27, 1958 2,932,482 Dickie Apr.12, 1960

